Its the holiday season. A season for spreading cheer and love, a season for giving and sharing.
And this is what Abilin Mukherjee our volunteer is doing. He is presently teaching a group of children mathematics at Mumbai Mobile Creches (MMC), in Andheri West, every Saturday morning.
Abilin sees huge potential in volunteering and the social sector in general, but he does feel that the NGOs could work more effectively.
We joined Abilin one Saturday to watch and learn about his work with Mumbai Mobile Creches. He is presently teaching a group of 8-10 children mathematics. The children are on different levels and call for a lot of attention from the devoted volunteer. Further more the children speak Marathi, a language that Abilin doesn’t know very well. Teaching them without access to a common language for communication is indeed a great challenge which Abilin has accepted without any grouse. Kudos to him.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
International Volunteer Day
In today’s world of global challenges, the work of volunteers to change the fabric of society for the better may seem very insignificant. But when volunteers in large numbers devote their time, skills, knowledge and energy, they make a significant difference. December 5th each year is observed as International Volunteer Day (IVD) – designated thus by the United Nations since 1985. The declared aim of this activity is to thank the volunteers for their efforts and increase public awareness about their contribution to society.
This year on December 5th, SOSVA held celebrations to acknowledge the contribution of its volunteers who have volunteered for many years,devotedly and professionally, for volunteering is serious business. The meet also provided a forum to the volunteers to share their experiences, both good and bad. It was heartening to note that the volunteers unanimously agreed that volunteering had actually helped them grow as an individual and in fact they had received more than they had given.
It will be SOSVA’s continuous endeavor to increase the number of volunteers with each passing year and help build stronger communities.
This year on December 5th, SOSVA held celebrations to acknowledge the contribution of its volunteers who have volunteered for many years,devotedly and professionally, for volunteering is serious business. The meet also provided a forum to the volunteers to share their experiences, both good and bad. It was heartening to note that the volunteers unanimously agreed that volunteering had actually helped them grow as an individual and in fact they had received more than they had given.
It will be SOSVA’s continuous endeavor to increase the number of volunteers with each passing year and help build stronger communities.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Just Another Volunteer Story...
Dear Usha, I hope this did not turn out too cheesy and hypocritical for your taste :) Thank you for a nice time in Tea Centre!
---Anna
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Usha Thanawala holds a Masters Degree in English Literature and worked as a University Lecturer in the past, but these days spends more time volunteering to teach under privileged students.
From Lecturer to Mother to Chairperson of National Association for the Blind to now working with underprivileged children, Usha has worn many hats. The common thread among all these roles has been her undying determination to make a difference.
Usha’s life wasn’t very different from the thousands of well educated and secure housewives in the city who have given up their professional careers for the sake of their children. But once her kids were older she chose to divert her time, attention and money towards volunteer activities beneficial to society.
Her firm beliefs in the institution of volunteer work were imbibed by her mother and her grandfather, who in their time have done a lot for the less privileged.
She started volunteer work with National Association for the Blind, and then later taught children at the Fellowship for the Physically Handicapped in Worli. These days she is associated with SOSVA and working with Hamara Foundation at Bombay Central.
Usha loves working with children and finds them very engaging.
“A person needs to be aware of their blessings in life and want to share them with others”, is her belief. Usha´s knows that as a volunteer it is difficult not to get emotionally involved, and sometimes seeing the pain of others is hard. But on the other hand it makes your pain look much smaller in comparison, says Usha, who has had her own share of difficulties in the past.
She feels that she learns a great deal from the people she meets and that sometimes her students wonder why she keeps thanking them, but she believes that they give her much more happiness than they realise.
Usha helps people on her own capacity as well, not only through organizations. She has never flinched in directly financially supporting an underprivileged person, if she finds it necessary. Her friends and relatives who trust her judgement have also been happy to contribute towards the same.
In general Usha believes that people want to help, but the conditions are discouraging. Life today is hectic and tiring and sometimes you feel helpless in the middle of all the chaos surrounding you. Still she wants to encourage people to volunteer because helping others gives you so much in return.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Mabelle Arole Memorial Lecture, 9th October 2009
Do not miss the Tenth Dr. Mabelle Arole Memorial Lecture on Friday 9th of October, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Indian Merchants` Chamber (IMC), Churchgate.
Noted Environmentalist Dr. Madhav Gadgil is the key note speaker this year, and he will speak about environmental challenges in the world today.
"The World is Warming- Let Us Act with a Cool Head"
The event is free and open for everyone! Welcome!
SOSVA
Noted Environmentalist Dr. Madhav Gadgil is the key note speaker this year, and he will speak about environmental challenges in the world today.
"The World is Warming- Let Us Act with a Cool Head"
The event is free and open for everyone! Welcome!
SOSVA
Block 10th of October!
Bazaar & Bling
@ Candies, Bandra (W)
Soon it is time for this years "Bazaar and Bling" at Candies in Pali Naka, Near Golds Gym. This year VOLACT is participating, with the mission to promote volunteerism.
Do visit Candies Restaurant, 10th of October. Tell all your friends and relatives to drop by, just to look around, shop, or register for volunteering!!
---Anna
@ Candies, Bandra (W)
Soon it is time for this years "Bazaar and Bling" at Candies in Pali Naka, Near Golds Gym. This year VOLACT is participating, with the mission to promote volunteerism.
Do visit Candies Restaurant, 10th of October. Tell all your friends and relatives to drop by, just to look around, shop, or register for volunteering!!
---Anna
Saturday, September 19, 2009
A Volunteers Point of View
One of our old volunteers, Mr. Ravindra P. Junagade, sent me this informative and critical article regarding his views on volunteering as well as his personal experience in the sector. Do read it and leave your comments!
Please remember that SOSVA is happy to receive both negative and positive feedback regarding the placement and follow up process, so that we can make our VOLACT-program better! A big thanks to all of you who have written to me so far!
[I] Volunteerism in General
[A] Concept of Volunteerism:
Volunteerism is based on the principle of voluntary action, done out of one’s own free will, rather than compulsion. Generally the services of volunteer are extended free and discharged out of a higher sense of purpose, compassion or strong belief in the cause. Whatever the motivating forces, volunteering is an important cornerstone of philanthropy. It may consist from faith-based groups that distribute food or clothing to the needy or professionals / celebrities who contribute their talents or personal resources. The most capable resource that any country has is its people. Volunteerism is about mobilizing that strength.
[B] Advantages of Volunteerism:
a) Towards Cause or Organization –
i) Volunteer resource is available at almost no cost.
ii) There is a flexibility of increasing or decreasing the strength as per the need.
iii) Services of specialists in various fields like doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, writers, etc. can be made available from time to time as per the need.
iv) Wide spread networking is possible.
v) Many volunteers may be having an intense urge and more dedication than even paid employees.
b) To Individuals Volunteering -
i) Inculcates team spirit, organizing ability and leadership skills. These skills are also useful in their own professional fields.
ii) Gives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Kind of satisfaction one gets out of it is not possible by working in any other commercial establishment. Apart from this direct advantage, there is one big advantage which comes indirectly – it reduces the severity of sufferings of those volunteering. When they see problems of others, the intensity of their own problems is felt less by them. This change in attitude is not easily attainable by other means.
iii) For housewives and retired personals it helps to keep them busy. Keeping oneself engaged and active is a healthy practice both for physical as well as mental health.
iv) Developing contacts / Building public image.
[C] Reasons for Volunteering & Positive / Negative aspects of each:
a) Feeling of Compassion for the Needy – They have a real urge and hence can be very dedicated. Ready to work in adverse conditions. They will prefer to work at grassroots level having direct interaction with the needy. But in some cases they may need financial assistance like reimbursement of traveling / out of pocket expenses.
b) Cause Dear to Heart - They have a real urge and hence can be very dedicated. Ready to work in adverse conditions and may strongly fight for the cause. But in some cases they may need financial assistance like reimbursement of traveling / out of pocket expenses. Also their enthusiasm can be tremendously increased by appreciation / reward.
c) Getting New Perspective on Life – Those having a real urge to work for a cause may be very dedicated and work in adverse conditions. Others may tryout the assignment and may work only if it suits them. Likely to shift frequently. They may not be ready to work in very adverse conditions. Retired persons falling in this category can give time on working days also. But they can not take up strenuous jobs, work in very adverse conditions and availability may be uncertain due to health problem. May be less flexible and having an ego.
d) Added Weightage in Resume / part of Curriculum – These are available for short time and hence suitable for small assignments or event management. They may not be very serious and may leave the assignment halfway once their purpose is fulfilled. Can’t expect them to work in adverse conditions.
e) Improving Public Image – Mainly celebrities and those having political ambitions come in this category. They work only where there is publicity or they get a mileage out of it. Very superficial. But they can be a good source of funding and help in getting media coverage for the cause or organization.
f) Socializing or Building Network – Their main intention is not working for the cause but to get a forum for their other interests. For youngsters it is just for socializing and increasing friendships. Those working as agents for insurance, mutual funds or selling products use these contacts for their commercial interests and expanding network. They are not very reliable to be available when there is a need for the cause.
g) Religious Beliefs – They have good dedication and may work in adverse conditions. Time they spent may be limited and may work through their own religious groups / organizations. Hence they can be usually mobilized through such organizations only.
[D] Management of Volunteers:
Effective management of volunteers depends on –
a) Volunteer Programme - Understanding the purpose of the volunteer programme including what the volunteers are going to do once they are recruited (clear job description), how they are going to perform the task (well documented policies and procedures), who the volunteers will be, what sort of skills and qualifications are required to perform the job. This also includes identifying the problem and possible solution.
b) Recruiting volunteers to a specific job - Interviewing and selecting right volunteer considering the cause and likely nature of the work.
c) Volunteer Registration – to enable keeping a list consisting of contact details, skills possessed and time availability of each volunteer.
d) Orientating and Training volunteers – It is necessary since they may be having diverse backgrounds. Moreover they have to deal with difficult and tricky situations. Rights and responsibilities of the volunteers and ideology of the organization should be made clear.
e) Coordinating Activities - As per the need and considering the time availability of each volunteer a schedule has to be prepared by a coordinator. Coordinator has to be responsive to the need. The response needs to be quick since man-hours lost can not be gained and it has to be hassle free so that valuable time and efforts of the volunteers are not wasted.
f) Evaluation – Feedback sessions for volunteers not only provide support and opportunity for personal development, but also provide the organization with a means to evaluate how well its volunteer programme is operating.
g) Rewarding – Even a most altruistic volunteer needs to feel appreciated and not taken for granted. Volunteers investing their time, energy or skill need to feel that they are wanted and appreciated. Recognition is also an important factor in promoting a sense of commitment and loyalty. There are ways to say simple “thank you” –
i) Mentioning the importance of volunteers within organization, news letters, annual report, media, etc.
ii) Planning special social gatherings.
iii) Making daily provision of tea / snacks.
iv) Reimbursement of travel / out of pocket expenses as per the need.
v) Giving certificate / appreciation letters.
[II] Volunteerism in India
[A] Social Sector / Civic Issues Scenario in India & Need for Volunteerism:
Presently in India there is alarming inequality - having a wide gap in between the rich and the poor. Large section of the society is facing extreme poverty, unemployment, hunger, malnutrition, ill health and no access to educational opportunities. If those who are better off do not act now in more socially responsible manner, the society may get further divided. Country’s growth process also may be at the risk since in a globalize economy competitiveness of firms will be threatened by non availability of requisite skilled manpower and unsustainable environment due to lopsided social structure. Besides this the unskilled, underutilized and frustrated young population may also undermine harmony and breed violence.
This is in spite of the fact that government allocations and spending increased manifold in social sectors in last few years. There are many flagship programmes for addressing various social issues. However the results are no where near to expectations. Now with economic downturn it is not expected to further increase the allocations substantially. Moreover, the real challenge lies in proper implementation of the schemes and efficiency in working. Leaving aside the major constraint of inadequate financial resources; in many cases even the allocated funds are not utilized. Inefficient way of working, inadequate coordination, corrupt practices, political influences and lack of accountability are the major factors responsible for various schemes not giving desired results.
Government is aware of this fact and is concerned about it. Hence after recent formation of UPA government the President in her address stated that there will be restructuring of various government schemes along with governance reforms for effective delivery of services. Among other things the governance reforms will include bringing more transparency in government functioning, placing information covering all non-strategic areas in the public domain, periodic evaluation of schemes by independent regulators, public reporting of progress and empowering of NGOs. These developments will further empower citizens with information. Already introduction of RTI act is helping to bring transparency in working and ensure accountability of persons.
With these developments citizens empowered with information can question the implementation failures. Concerned citizens / volunteers as well as NGOs will be in better position to monitor the implementation of various government schemes. If necessary they can take the recourse of RTI act. This will definitely help bringing efficiency in government machinery, which will in turn give better results and better utilization of scares funds.
Apart from social sector there is a scope of volunteers’ contribution for civic issues. There are so many civic problems due to unsatisfactory implementation. With increasing trend of people’s participation in management of various local bodies, there is scope for volunteering for civic issues. People’s participation is one of the provisions of flagship programme JNNURM and many municipal corporations / local bodies are also encouraging.
Due to above there is ample scope of volunteers to contribute towards various causes and also their effectiveness has increased. Therefore volunteers working individually or through NGOs / local forums can play a major role in social sector / civic problems. Fortunately India has a large manpower that can spare time for causes dear to them. It includes working people, housewives and retired personals. Further there is a good potential in utilizing this resource due to large magnitude of social and civic problems, widely spread in the country. Hence there is a dire need of availing this resource. Broadly volunteers may involve in: -
a) Supplementing government efforts by associating with various schemes.
b) Effectively following up government at local level for implementing various policies / schemes. Not only they can monitor the schemes but may take recourse of RTI act wherever necessary.
c) Motivating and empowering people by spreading awareness through their contacts, publishing articles, blog and giving details of websites. This is necessary since there are so many schemes with overlapping objectives and hence the needy can derive cumulative benefits. Apart from this people or beneficiaries empowered with information will be in better position to raise their voice. They can be also trained to use RTI recourse. The effect of this will be wide spread and concerned authorities will be more vigilant when beneficiaries know their entitlements.
d) Raising their demands or expressing opinions through various media to draw attention of government for improvement or change in policies. Those having a flair for writing can send stories for publication of achievements of organizations / individuals working for various causes. This helps organizations in raising funds and gives encouragement to the individuals. Individuals working selflessly need encouragement. Also individuals working in NGOs need appreciation since they work in adverse conditions with very less payments.
e) Working with NGOs - Due to economic downturn fund availability, donations and corporate sponsorships / support are rapidly decreasing. In such situation NGOs need volunteers’ help in raising funds as well as other activities.
f) Managing events / exhibitions / seminars / camps for various causes, where there is a bulk requirement of manpower for a short duration.
[B] Problems faced in utilization of Volunteer Resource:
In spite of having good potential of volunteer resource and scope for utilization, its contribution in social sector is not appreciable. The major reasons being -
a) Problem of properly identifying the issues / possible solutions or avenues where volunteer resource can be utilized.
b) Proper coordination of volunteers to ensure timely availability as per the requirement. All the volunteers may not be available all the time. This action needs to be prompt. In absence of this the organization or forum using this resource is not confident of availing it. Even in a group of volunteers there is a need of coordination and someone taking committed responsibility to ensure working of the group.
c) Organizations registering volunteers and providing list to users do not update the list. Because of this when selected from the list the volunteers are either not available or do not respond. The organizations are also not very prompt in responding to the needs.
d) Problem is faced in assessing the availability of volunteers while deciding about taking up a task. This is because volunteers when contacted do not respond about their non availability. Hence though there may be many on the rolls but there is an uncertainty. This not only affects the work but is discouraging for those who are regular. Also commitment given can not be fulfilled and creditability is lost.
e) There are a large number of youngsters who come forward for volunteering with great enthusiasm. While registering they commit without proper thinking about their other commitments including their job front. They are very inconsistent and at many times not available. Many of them come for socializing / improving their resume and hence may not be serious about the cause.
f) In case of retired persons and housewives, information dissemination is a problem since they are not very conversant with computer / internet. In many places internet is mainly used for communications while coordinating activities. At such places their services can not be utilized.
g) In case of house wives their availability is not assured due to home front commitments which are always in priority. In elderly people availability is uncertain due to health problems. At a time coordination of the elderly becomes a problem due to their inflexibility / ego.
h) For utilizing volunteers for civic issues main problem faced is about coordination and lack of sense of responsibility. Apart from this many come forward for volunteering with their own vested interests. They do not bother about larger issues affecting to other people.
h) In many cases individuals are ready to offer their services without being required to spend on commuting or other out of pocket expenses. In many situations there are practical problems in allowing these reimbursements. Hence services of such individuals can be availed.
[III] Experience in Volunteering
[A] Following up Donors of CRY:
I started volunteering through Child Rights & You (CRY), an organization working for the cause of child rights. It is from the year 2001. The first job involved was following up on phone for donations. CRY were giving me lists of individual donors who have been donating previously, but not donated from last one year. Since many contacts were residential one I used to daily contact them in between 8 pm to 9.30 pm and on Saturdays / Sundays at convenient timings. Due to this many of the donors revived. Incidentally CRY is having major portion of fund raising through individual donors only.
[B] Computer Feeding & Compilations:
After my retirement from service from 1 October 2002, I did not take up any job and offered my services for social causes without any time limit. Only restriction was not to incur any expenses towards it and not to waste much time in commuting. Hence following up donors on telephone was discontinued and I took up the work of feeding information on computer. CRY used to send me the matter by courier and I used to email them after feeding on computer. I was also sending my opinions / views and briefs to CRY on related issues.
[C] Volunteer Initiated Assignments at Thane:
From April 2007 CRY started volunteer initiated assignments at Thane. The concept is that CRY plays a role of a catalyst to facilitate active participation of citizen groups by supporting volunteer initiated assignments as per the need. There are many citizens eager to volunteer, but to effectively utilize their services there is a need of identifying the specific problem, working out its solution and timely coordinating the efforts. CRY has recognized this need and is therefore taking initiative for coordinating such efforts. Also they give support from time to time as needed. Apart from other assignments I am actively involved in this.
With this arrangement, initially an assignment of bringing about improvement in the Special Health Programme (SHP) being implemented through 128 Primary schools under Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) was selected. A survey was carried out in 9 schools and it was identified that there is lot of scope for improvement. Discussions were held with TMC officials. It was felt that more extensive survey needs to be carried out. But the assignment was to be shelved since CRY could not get requisite number of volunteers to offer services on working days.
From March 2008 the volunteer group decided to work for Child Labour issue. It was felt that government machinery engaged in rescuing child labour may overlook rehabilitation aspect. So it was decided to focus on bringing improvement in rehabilitation measures of rescued child labours. In this connection there were campaigns to raise awareness in public, discussions were held with Labour Department / National Child labour Project (NCLP) officials and rehabilitation schools were visited to understand various provisions and problems.
A programme for activities for one year starting from 12 June 2009 has been finalized. Apart from various campaigns for raising awareness it consists of meeting concerned authorities from time to time to help bringing improvement in rehabilitation measures and empowering concerned citizens with related information to enable them to question the authorities. It also consists of interaction with families of child labours to know their problems, inform them about various schemes implemented by government for the underprivileged and persuade them to send their children to school.
[D] News Tracking:
After attaining a workshop by CFAR at Delhi in December 2008, I am working in the core group of CRY engaged in using news tracking for bringing improvement in media. A need was felt for this since media is not giving adequate coverage to child rights issues. Presently we are in the process of finalizing matrix for qualitative assessment of news coverage appearing in newspapers pertaining to child rights. Thereafter interaction with media is planned.
I am already using news tracking for compiling and regularly preparing briefs of important news reports relating to child rights appearing in the Newspapers. This is mainly for feeding information to volunteers and CRY collective.
[E] Civic Issues:
I volunteered for organization Action for Governance and Networking in India (AGNI) for about one year in 2003. It was consisting of meeting civic authorities, drawing record notes and following up. Recently since last two years a group of concerned citizens at Thane is formed to follow up with civic authorities on various civic issues pertaining to Thane city.
[F] Raising Awareness through Publications:
Letters / articles are sent regularly for publications in various dailies. This is for raising awareness on various civic issues, and in social sector particularly pertaining to child rights.
By:
Ravindra P. Junagade,
Please remember that SOSVA is happy to receive both negative and positive feedback regarding the placement and follow up process, so that we can make our VOLACT-program better! A big thanks to all of you who have written to me so far!
[I] Volunteerism in General
[A] Concept of Volunteerism:
Volunteerism is based on the principle of voluntary action, done out of one’s own free will, rather than compulsion. Generally the services of volunteer are extended free and discharged out of a higher sense of purpose, compassion or strong belief in the cause. Whatever the motivating forces, volunteering is an important cornerstone of philanthropy. It may consist from faith-based groups that distribute food or clothing to the needy or professionals / celebrities who contribute their talents or personal resources. The most capable resource that any country has is its people. Volunteerism is about mobilizing that strength.
[B] Advantages of Volunteerism:
a) Towards Cause or Organization –
i) Volunteer resource is available at almost no cost.
ii) There is a flexibility of increasing or decreasing the strength as per the need.
iii) Services of specialists in various fields like doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, writers, etc. can be made available from time to time as per the need.
iv) Wide spread networking is possible.
v) Many volunteers may be having an intense urge and more dedication than even paid employees.
b) To Individuals Volunteering -
i) Inculcates team spirit, organizing ability and leadership skills. These skills are also useful in their own professional fields.
ii) Gives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Kind of satisfaction one gets out of it is not possible by working in any other commercial establishment. Apart from this direct advantage, there is one big advantage which comes indirectly – it reduces the severity of sufferings of those volunteering. When they see problems of others, the intensity of their own problems is felt less by them. This change in attitude is not easily attainable by other means.
iii) For housewives and retired personals it helps to keep them busy. Keeping oneself engaged and active is a healthy practice both for physical as well as mental health.
iv) Developing contacts / Building public image.
[C] Reasons for Volunteering & Positive / Negative aspects of each:
a) Feeling of Compassion for the Needy – They have a real urge and hence can be very dedicated. Ready to work in adverse conditions. They will prefer to work at grassroots level having direct interaction with the needy. But in some cases they may need financial assistance like reimbursement of traveling / out of pocket expenses.
b) Cause Dear to Heart - They have a real urge and hence can be very dedicated. Ready to work in adverse conditions and may strongly fight for the cause. But in some cases they may need financial assistance like reimbursement of traveling / out of pocket expenses. Also their enthusiasm can be tremendously increased by appreciation / reward.
c) Getting New Perspective on Life – Those having a real urge to work for a cause may be very dedicated and work in adverse conditions. Others may tryout the assignment and may work only if it suits them. Likely to shift frequently. They may not be ready to work in very adverse conditions. Retired persons falling in this category can give time on working days also. But they can not take up strenuous jobs, work in very adverse conditions and availability may be uncertain due to health problem. May be less flexible and having an ego.
d) Added Weightage in Resume / part of Curriculum – These are available for short time and hence suitable for small assignments or event management. They may not be very serious and may leave the assignment halfway once their purpose is fulfilled. Can’t expect them to work in adverse conditions.
e) Improving Public Image – Mainly celebrities and those having political ambitions come in this category. They work only where there is publicity or they get a mileage out of it. Very superficial. But they can be a good source of funding and help in getting media coverage for the cause or organization.
f) Socializing or Building Network – Their main intention is not working for the cause but to get a forum for their other interests. For youngsters it is just for socializing and increasing friendships. Those working as agents for insurance, mutual funds or selling products use these contacts for their commercial interests and expanding network. They are not very reliable to be available when there is a need for the cause.
g) Religious Beliefs – They have good dedication and may work in adverse conditions. Time they spent may be limited and may work through their own religious groups / organizations. Hence they can be usually mobilized through such organizations only.
[D] Management of Volunteers:
Effective management of volunteers depends on –
a) Volunteer Programme - Understanding the purpose of the volunteer programme including what the volunteers are going to do once they are recruited (clear job description), how they are going to perform the task (well documented policies and procedures), who the volunteers will be, what sort of skills and qualifications are required to perform the job. This also includes identifying the problem and possible solution.
b) Recruiting volunteers to a specific job - Interviewing and selecting right volunteer considering the cause and likely nature of the work.
c) Volunteer Registration – to enable keeping a list consisting of contact details, skills possessed and time availability of each volunteer.
d) Orientating and Training volunteers – It is necessary since they may be having diverse backgrounds. Moreover they have to deal with difficult and tricky situations. Rights and responsibilities of the volunteers and ideology of the organization should be made clear.
e) Coordinating Activities - As per the need and considering the time availability of each volunteer a schedule has to be prepared by a coordinator. Coordinator has to be responsive to the need. The response needs to be quick since man-hours lost can not be gained and it has to be hassle free so that valuable time and efforts of the volunteers are not wasted.
f) Evaluation – Feedback sessions for volunteers not only provide support and opportunity for personal development, but also provide the organization with a means to evaluate how well its volunteer programme is operating.
g) Rewarding – Even a most altruistic volunteer needs to feel appreciated and not taken for granted. Volunteers investing their time, energy or skill need to feel that they are wanted and appreciated. Recognition is also an important factor in promoting a sense of commitment and loyalty. There are ways to say simple “thank you” –
i) Mentioning the importance of volunteers within organization, news letters, annual report, media, etc.
ii) Planning special social gatherings.
iii) Making daily provision of tea / snacks.
iv) Reimbursement of travel / out of pocket expenses as per the need.
v) Giving certificate / appreciation letters.
[II] Volunteerism in India
[A] Social Sector / Civic Issues Scenario in India & Need for Volunteerism:
Presently in India there is alarming inequality - having a wide gap in between the rich and the poor. Large section of the society is facing extreme poverty, unemployment, hunger, malnutrition, ill health and no access to educational opportunities. If those who are better off do not act now in more socially responsible manner, the society may get further divided. Country’s growth process also may be at the risk since in a globalize economy competitiveness of firms will be threatened by non availability of requisite skilled manpower and unsustainable environment due to lopsided social structure. Besides this the unskilled, underutilized and frustrated young population may also undermine harmony and breed violence.
This is in spite of the fact that government allocations and spending increased manifold in social sectors in last few years. There are many flagship programmes for addressing various social issues. However the results are no where near to expectations. Now with economic downturn it is not expected to further increase the allocations substantially. Moreover, the real challenge lies in proper implementation of the schemes and efficiency in working. Leaving aside the major constraint of inadequate financial resources; in many cases even the allocated funds are not utilized. Inefficient way of working, inadequate coordination, corrupt practices, political influences and lack of accountability are the major factors responsible for various schemes not giving desired results.
Government is aware of this fact and is concerned about it. Hence after recent formation of UPA government the President in her address stated that there will be restructuring of various government schemes along with governance reforms for effective delivery of services. Among other things the governance reforms will include bringing more transparency in government functioning, placing information covering all non-strategic areas in the public domain, periodic evaluation of schemes by independent regulators, public reporting of progress and empowering of NGOs. These developments will further empower citizens with information. Already introduction of RTI act is helping to bring transparency in working and ensure accountability of persons.
With these developments citizens empowered with information can question the implementation failures. Concerned citizens / volunteers as well as NGOs will be in better position to monitor the implementation of various government schemes. If necessary they can take the recourse of RTI act. This will definitely help bringing efficiency in government machinery, which will in turn give better results and better utilization of scares funds.
Apart from social sector there is a scope of volunteers’ contribution for civic issues. There are so many civic problems due to unsatisfactory implementation. With increasing trend of people’s participation in management of various local bodies, there is scope for volunteering for civic issues. People’s participation is one of the provisions of flagship programme JNNURM and many municipal corporations / local bodies are also encouraging.
Due to above there is ample scope of volunteers to contribute towards various causes and also their effectiveness has increased. Therefore volunteers working individually or through NGOs / local forums can play a major role in social sector / civic problems. Fortunately India has a large manpower that can spare time for causes dear to them. It includes working people, housewives and retired personals. Further there is a good potential in utilizing this resource due to large magnitude of social and civic problems, widely spread in the country. Hence there is a dire need of availing this resource. Broadly volunteers may involve in: -
a) Supplementing government efforts by associating with various schemes.
b) Effectively following up government at local level for implementing various policies / schemes. Not only they can monitor the schemes but may take recourse of RTI act wherever necessary.
c) Motivating and empowering people by spreading awareness through their contacts, publishing articles, blog and giving details of websites. This is necessary since there are so many schemes with overlapping objectives and hence the needy can derive cumulative benefits. Apart from this people or beneficiaries empowered with information will be in better position to raise their voice. They can be also trained to use RTI recourse. The effect of this will be wide spread and concerned authorities will be more vigilant when beneficiaries know their entitlements.
d) Raising their demands or expressing opinions through various media to draw attention of government for improvement or change in policies. Those having a flair for writing can send stories for publication of achievements of organizations / individuals working for various causes. This helps organizations in raising funds and gives encouragement to the individuals. Individuals working selflessly need encouragement. Also individuals working in NGOs need appreciation since they work in adverse conditions with very less payments.
e) Working with NGOs - Due to economic downturn fund availability, donations and corporate sponsorships / support are rapidly decreasing. In such situation NGOs need volunteers’ help in raising funds as well as other activities.
f) Managing events / exhibitions / seminars / camps for various causes, where there is a bulk requirement of manpower for a short duration.
[B] Problems faced in utilization of Volunteer Resource:
In spite of having good potential of volunteer resource and scope for utilization, its contribution in social sector is not appreciable. The major reasons being -
a) Problem of properly identifying the issues / possible solutions or avenues where volunteer resource can be utilized.
b) Proper coordination of volunteers to ensure timely availability as per the requirement. All the volunteers may not be available all the time. This action needs to be prompt. In absence of this the organization or forum using this resource is not confident of availing it. Even in a group of volunteers there is a need of coordination and someone taking committed responsibility to ensure working of the group.
c) Organizations registering volunteers and providing list to users do not update the list. Because of this when selected from the list the volunteers are either not available or do not respond. The organizations are also not very prompt in responding to the needs.
d) Problem is faced in assessing the availability of volunteers while deciding about taking up a task. This is because volunteers when contacted do not respond about their non availability. Hence though there may be many on the rolls but there is an uncertainty. This not only affects the work but is discouraging for those who are regular. Also commitment given can not be fulfilled and creditability is lost.
e) There are a large number of youngsters who come forward for volunteering with great enthusiasm. While registering they commit without proper thinking about their other commitments including their job front. They are very inconsistent and at many times not available. Many of them come for socializing / improving their resume and hence may not be serious about the cause.
f) In case of retired persons and housewives, information dissemination is a problem since they are not very conversant with computer / internet. In many places internet is mainly used for communications while coordinating activities. At such places their services can not be utilized.
g) In case of house wives their availability is not assured due to home front commitments which are always in priority. In elderly people availability is uncertain due to health problems. At a time coordination of the elderly becomes a problem due to their inflexibility / ego.
h) For utilizing volunteers for civic issues main problem faced is about coordination and lack of sense of responsibility. Apart from this many come forward for volunteering with their own vested interests. They do not bother about larger issues affecting to other people.
h) In many cases individuals are ready to offer their services without being required to spend on commuting or other out of pocket expenses. In many situations there are practical problems in allowing these reimbursements. Hence services of such individuals can be availed.
[III] Experience in Volunteering
[A] Following up Donors of CRY:
I started volunteering through Child Rights & You (CRY), an organization working for the cause of child rights. It is from the year 2001. The first job involved was following up on phone for donations. CRY were giving me lists of individual donors who have been donating previously, but not donated from last one year. Since many contacts were residential one I used to daily contact them in between 8 pm to 9.30 pm and on Saturdays / Sundays at convenient timings. Due to this many of the donors revived. Incidentally CRY is having major portion of fund raising through individual donors only.
[B] Computer Feeding & Compilations:
After my retirement from service from 1 October 2002, I did not take up any job and offered my services for social causes without any time limit. Only restriction was not to incur any expenses towards it and not to waste much time in commuting. Hence following up donors on telephone was discontinued and I took up the work of feeding information on computer. CRY used to send me the matter by courier and I used to email them after feeding on computer. I was also sending my opinions / views and briefs to CRY on related issues.
[C] Volunteer Initiated Assignments at Thane:
From April 2007 CRY started volunteer initiated assignments at Thane. The concept is that CRY plays a role of a catalyst to facilitate active participation of citizen groups by supporting volunteer initiated assignments as per the need. There are many citizens eager to volunteer, but to effectively utilize their services there is a need of identifying the specific problem, working out its solution and timely coordinating the efforts. CRY has recognized this need and is therefore taking initiative for coordinating such efforts. Also they give support from time to time as needed. Apart from other assignments I am actively involved in this.
With this arrangement, initially an assignment of bringing about improvement in the Special Health Programme (SHP) being implemented through 128 Primary schools under Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) was selected. A survey was carried out in 9 schools and it was identified that there is lot of scope for improvement. Discussions were held with TMC officials. It was felt that more extensive survey needs to be carried out. But the assignment was to be shelved since CRY could not get requisite number of volunteers to offer services on working days.
From March 2008 the volunteer group decided to work for Child Labour issue. It was felt that government machinery engaged in rescuing child labour may overlook rehabilitation aspect. So it was decided to focus on bringing improvement in rehabilitation measures of rescued child labours. In this connection there were campaigns to raise awareness in public, discussions were held with Labour Department / National Child labour Project (NCLP) officials and rehabilitation schools were visited to understand various provisions and problems.
A programme for activities for one year starting from 12 June 2009 has been finalized. Apart from various campaigns for raising awareness it consists of meeting concerned authorities from time to time to help bringing improvement in rehabilitation measures and empowering concerned citizens with related information to enable them to question the authorities. It also consists of interaction with families of child labours to know their problems, inform them about various schemes implemented by government for the underprivileged and persuade them to send their children to school.
[D] News Tracking:
After attaining a workshop by CFAR at Delhi in December 2008, I am working in the core group of CRY engaged in using news tracking for bringing improvement in media. A need was felt for this since media is not giving adequate coverage to child rights issues. Presently we are in the process of finalizing matrix for qualitative assessment of news coverage appearing in newspapers pertaining to child rights. Thereafter interaction with media is planned.
I am already using news tracking for compiling and regularly preparing briefs of important news reports relating to child rights appearing in the Newspapers. This is mainly for feeding information to volunteers and CRY collective.
[E] Civic Issues:
I volunteered for organization Action for Governance and Networking in India (AGNI) for about one year in 2003. It was consisting of meeting civic authorities, drawing record notes and following up. Recently since last two years a group of concerned citizens at Thane is formed to follow up with civic authorities on various civic issues pertaining to Thane city.
[F] Raising Awareness through Publications:
Letters / articles are sent regularly for publications in various dailies. This is for raising awareness on various civic issues, and in social sector particularly pertaining to child rights.
By:
Ravindra P. Junagade,
Monday, September 14, 2009
“The will to volunteer must come from the heart”
For Navaneta Parmar volunteering truly comes from the heart and she claims to enjoy her work thoroughly. Navanita has been teaching one of the eight classical dances, Bharatnatyam, for almost eight years at Sanskar Dham Trust, and she has been involved in voluntary work earlier in life as well. She tells me that volunteering and helping is in her blood and it gives her a lot of happiness and joy.
Navaneta retired in 2001 and joined 3 schools to teach dancing on voluntary basis. Nowadays she comes to Sanskar Dham once a week, for 1-2 hours, and more often if there is a specific program coming up. Once she prepared a group of children for a dance performance in only four days and the show turned out to be a success. She also helps her students to take dance exams and by now they have finished 4th level.
At the moment Navaneta teaches a group of girls around 10 years of age, but the plan is to start another dance group at the same school for younger children. She says that the children pick up very fast and she would love to have more children to work with.
The dancing volunteer feels strongly about being there for the physically challenged children. “Do not neglect these children, give them an opportunity to dance and experience the joy of learning. Everyone can dance, and the smiles on the children’s faces give satisfaction to the teacher as well”, she says. I ask her if everyone can be a volunteer, and she answers that a volunteer needs to take the assignment seriously and be committed and that the will to volunteer must come from the heart. Apart from that a volunteer doesn’t need any skills and as long as the person is patient the outcome will be positive.
I sit down and watch her teaching four enthusiastic girls. Navaneta shows me what a Namaskar-step is, and after that the girls perform a prayer dance to prepare their mind and body for the following dances. The girls are smiling while dancing and I let Navaneta and her group carry on without any further disturbance from my part...
G´day!
Hello dear volunteers,
So sorry I haven't updated anything in a while! Will not let this happen again!
-Anna from SOSVA
So sorry I haven't updated anything in a while! Will not let this happen again!
-Anna from SOSVA
Monday, August 17, 2009
Volunteers of Excellence
It only took Mr. Sharad Nair one month after his retirement to get bored of watching the small screen. He wanted to utilize his time instead and thought he could start volunteering, but he felt unsure of how he could make use of his office skills in the welfare sector. One day he came across a write up about SOSVA (Society for Service to Voluntary Agencies) in the Sunday paper, and got in touch with Ms. Radha Vedantam, Project Director of VOLACT (SOSVA´s Centre for Promoting Voluntary Agencies). After she had convinced him that anyone with an interest in the social sector can be a volunteer, regardless of what skills the person has, he joined SOSVA and got his first assignment within a couple of weeks.
By now, Mr. Nair has offered his assistance to the social welfare sector for more than 10 years. The past 9 years he has been volunteering for Foundation for Excellence (FFE) in Dadar, and before joining FFE he was enrolled with NASEOH (National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped India). NASEOH is a Chembur-based training center for handicapped children. During our meeting he is telling me a story about a handicapped boy who in spite of physical restraints offered his help to Mr. Nair when he needed it, and how that incident changed his thinking. “These people were physically and mentally disabled, but able people are handicapped in their attitudes today”, Mr. Nair says.
After a point of time he felt that he wanted to reduce his time travelling. For that reason he contacted SOSVA and expressed his concerns related to the commuting from his home in Dadar to NASEOH in Chembur, specially during monsoon. Before long he was placed with FFE and working in an office within walking distance from his home.
The mission of FFE is to help economically underprivileged but academically bright students in India complete their higher education. He has now been handling office correspondence for FFE for 9 years, five days a week, but he doesn’t want to call it work. For him it is all about doing something interesting and fruitful to keep himself busy, and the fact that he has managed to combine this with the welfare sector is a great bonus. He claims (and I believe him) to be fully engrossed in social work today, so much that he has forgotten about the idea of retirement altogether.
Another volunteering gentleman, Mr. Madanlal Ghetrapal takes part in our conversation. Like Mr. Nair, he is retired and has been volunteering with FFE since year 2000. He shares Mr. Nairs thought and feelings towards volunteering. “If you are physically fit and have a chance to do something to help others directly or indirectly -do it”, he says.
Both Mr. Nair and Mr. Ghetrapal look at it as an opportunity they have been given, to remain healthy and in working condition. Someone once told Mr. Nair that he is a fool to be working without receiving a salary, but this is one attitude that he doesn’t identify with. He says that people constantly claim to be too busy to volunteer, when what they actually do is wake up late, take a walk, watch TV, or quarrel with the family members. That time could be spent helping someone that needs it and keeping once own body and mind vigorous, he continues. After 10 years of experience his opinion is that anyone with the right attitude can be a volunteer and he specially recommends it for the elderly and retired.
“As long as I can stand I will continue coming here”, Mr. Nair says smiling before he waves goodbye to me by the elevator. I leave the building feeling joyful and content knowing that voluntary work doesn’t only benefit the group it targets- it also shapes and enriches the life of the volunteer.
By now, Mr. Nair has offered his assistance to the social welfare sector for more than 10 years. The past 9 years he has been volunteering for Foundation for Excellence (FFE) in Dadar, and before joining FFE he was enrolled with NASEOH (National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped India). NASEOH is a Chembur-based training center for handicapped children. During our meeting he is telling me a story about a handicapped boy who in spite of physical restraints offered his help to Mr. Nair when he needed it, and how that incident changed his thinking. “These people were physically and mentally disabled, but able people are handicapped in their attitudes today”, Mr. Nair says.
After a point of time he felt that he wanted to reduce his time travelling. For that reason he contacted SOSVA and expressed his concerns related to the commuting from his home in Dadar to NASEOH in Chembur, specially during monsoon. Before long he was placed with FFE and working in an office within walking distance from his home.
The mission of FFE is to help economically underprivileged but academically bright students in India complete their higher education. He has now been handling office correspondence for FFE for 9 years, five days a week, but he doesn’t want to call it work. For him it is all about doing something interesting and fruitful to keep himself busy, and the fact that he has managed to combine this with the welfare sector is a great bonus. He claims (and I believe him) to be fully engrossed in social work today, so much that he has forgotten about the idea of retirement altogether.
Another volunteering gentleman, Mr. Madanlal Ghetrapal takes part in our conversation. Like Mr. Nair, he is retired and has been volunteering with FFE since year 2000. He shares Mr. Nairs thought and feelings towards volunteering. “If you are physically fit and have a chance to do something to help others directly or indirectly -do it”, he says.
Both Mr. Nair and Mr. Ghetrapal look at it as an opportunity they have been given, to remain healthy and in working condition. Someone once told Mr. Nair that he is a fool to be working without receiving a salary, but this is one attitude that he doesn’t identify with. He says that people constantly claim to be too busy to volunteer, when what they actually do is wake up late, take a walk, watch TV, or quarrel with the family members. That time could be spent helping someone that needs it and keeping once own body and mind vigorous, he continues. After 10 years of experience his opinion is that anyone with the right attitude can be a volunteer and he specially recommends it for the elderly and retired.
“As long as I can stand I will continue coming here”, Mr. Nair says smiling before he waves goodbye to me by the elevator. I leave the building feeling joyful and content knowing that voluntary work doesn’t only benefit the group it targets- it also shapes and enriches the life of the volunteer.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
An Interview with Ravish Dobhani
“Do you have any questions, I want to get into the water”, says Ravish Dobani, eager to start his class. Ravish is a health consultant and has been teaching swimming to the disabled children of the Holy Cross School in Thane for the past one and a half years. He is usually busy running his own business, but in spite of that he has dedicated his spare time to volunteering.
He jumps into the Taral pool and I watch him teach a mother of a severely handicapped child how to hold her daughter in the water, so that she can enjoy swimming in her own way. It doesn’t take long before another less severely handicapped child comes over to help the mother and they no longer need Ravish to enjoy their time in the water.
Ravish was introduced to voluntary work by a friend he met years ago in a school in Mulund, and who was already involved in volunteering. He realized that he also could spare some time to help children with special needs. Initially he used to play music with them and take them out for small picnics.
In India physically and mentally disabled children are often kept away from society and Dobani wanted them to become exposed and give them the opportunity to visit places that “normal children” visit.
Dobani’s background as a fitness instructor, led him to soon start training the children for the Special Olympics; and last year 25 out of the 30 kids trained by him brought home medals.
Today he has established two gyms, to serve the needs of the special children in the Holy Cross School. He initially teaches them the correct methods of swimming in the gym with the help of appropriate equipment, and then later on the children are taught to use these techniques in the swimming pool.
Many children that he works with have orthopedic problems. The swimming lessons have changed their posture and improved their strength and overall fitness. Some of them are hyperactive and it has been essential for them to have something important to focus their energy on. As a result their hyperactivity through the day has been reduced.
Some children also used to have problems with their weight because of their limited ability to move. The fun and relaxing activities in the water have worked as a solution, and children that used to be overweight are now in good health.
“Come and look at this!” Ravish calls me from the pool. He shows me how a boy that was not able to use his right arm before, now has learned to move it in the water. Today this boy and several others have learned to swim without a floating device.
Furthermore playing in the water with family and friends is a good exercise both for the mind and the body no matter if the child eventually learns to swim or not.
I speak to some of the parents while keeping an eye on what is going on in the water. The significance that the swimming lessons have on the lives of these families becomes evident.
“I have an autistic child that has always loved water and I used to take him to the sea. I came up with the idea to take him to a swimming school but no one accepted him because of his problem. Now thanks to Ravish he has got a chance to do what he loves, and he has learned swimming very well”, says the delighted father of Pranjal Kulkarni.
“I have a nine year old special girl. People generally don’t think it is worth the effort teaching disabled children swimming. The truth is that they pick up new things fast, and once they learn something they don’t forget it. Because of Ravish our children also get a chance to learn” one of the mothers continues.
More people gather around me to express the gratitude they feel towards the volunteers that help their kids, and praise Ravish’s dedication and persistence as a trainer.
I ask them what would be the single most important thing, that they would want me to publicize and they all concur, that they wish people would be more aware of the existing possibilities, instead of focusing on the difficulties. Disabled children can develop their skills and the learning process can be a joyful journey for the entire family.
One has to wonder what it is that that has made Ravish so resolute in his work.
“I met a 78 year old lady from the UK, a nurse, who for the past 7 years had been travelling around India by herself. She went to different parts of the country teaching others how to deal with and train the disabled. Meeting her had a big impact on me”, says Ravish. He explains that it is possible to teach anyone anything if you just have the willpower.
Ravish keeps telling me about the methods he uses while teaching and about the future plans he has in store for the children. But the biggest obstacle that he perhaps faces is the shortage of volunteers right now. He points out to me, how many children cannot get the required independent attention because of the shortage of volunteers.
Right now Ravish has two childhood friends that help him carry out the voluntary work, Mr. Kanti Patel and Mr. Manvesh Sharma. But he is still looking for more volunteers who can help him. He points out that till some time ago both Mr. Patel and Mr. Sharma, did not know how to swim themselves, but today they teach others to swim as well.
Ravish wants to emphasize the fact that anyone can contribute. Sometimes it is not money that you need to donate but your time. As little as one hour of your time in a week, can make a huge difference in another person’s life.
“A healthy mind lies in a healthy body”, is Ravish message. He believes his program is suited not only to disabled children but also to senior citizens and can be expanded to other cities as well.
Ravish is as commendable example of volunteer work doing wonders to improve another person’s life, and should be an inspiration for all of us.
Saathi Haath Badhana
Volunteer Your Time
Share Your Skills
Learn Life Skills
Share Your Skills
Learn Life Skills
To Promote the Unique Spirit of Volunteerism,
SOSVA (Society of Service for Voluntary Agencies) and VOLACT (Centre for Promoting Voluntary Action) invites everyone to volunteer for community service-
share your talent and skills!
Today more than ever there is a need for all of us to come together, help each other and surge ahead as a strong nation. Youth are going to play a major role in this endeavor. By giving a little of your free time to community serviceyou can share your talent and skills with the less fortunate and light up their lives. While doing that you learn life skills which will definately help you in the future.
Contact:
volact@hotmail.com/sosva@hotmail.com
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